"White Ancestor!"
Edward, of course, was familiar with the crow, and it seemed Sophia knew as wellâafter all, the name of the White Ancestor had been famous for a long time.
Before him, Edward immediately lost the ability to resist.
Buzz!
The crow dove straight into Edwardâs ring and disappeared, perhaps entering it entirely.
Given his level, even frozen space didnât seem to be a problem for him.
"Hahaha, there it is..." His laughter echoed as his figure reappeared.
The difference was, this time, he carried a complete skullâdark red in color and faintly glowing with a dim light.
Edwardâs expression froze the moment he saw it.
"White Ancestor, waitâ"
But the White Ancestor ignored him.
The skull vanished, and he swiftly flew toward the door.
"Richard, letâs go," he said.
Edward, of course, didnât know who Richard wasâbut Sophia instantly turned pale when she heard that name.
Richard was also a member of the Skylight Clan. It wasnât strange for the White Ancestor to have taken him under his care.
If that was the case, then Richard would know she had slept with his father... perhaps even witnessed it himself.
The more Sophia thought about it, the paler her skin became, yet her cheeks burned redder.
"Damn it!" Edward suddenly stood up, hastily putting on his clothes before running after the White Ancestor.
But with such a vast difference in levelâhow could he ever catch up?
Richard, carried away by the White Ancestor, found the scenery around him had changed.
They suddenly appeared in the middle of a dense forest.
"Boy, itâs time for you to merge with the Titan Skeleton," said the White Ancestor.
That was powerâand Richard naturally didnât reject it. He nodded to the White Ancestor.
The latter brought the skull to him and used his power to attach it to Richardâs body.
Richard personally witnessed how the Titan Skeleton fused smoothly with his own bones, giving him a tremendous surge of strength.
DING!
(You have merged with the Titan Skeleton, a skeleton that enhances your physical power and possesses one innate Arcane Art â Titan Mode, an Arcane Art that grants you the ability to enlarge your body into a giant like a titan!)
[External Power:]
Sacred Flame
Incomplete Heavenly Water (26 Points)
Titan Skeleton
[Innate Arcane Art from Titan Skeleton:]
Titan Mode
Richard suddenly received the notification.
It was also classified as an
External Power
, but power was still power.
He just didnât expect something like this to even possess an innate Arcane Art.
"How big can I get?" he wondered aloud.
"You can try it..." the White Ancestor replied with a visible grin.
Although Richard thought it didnât suit his style, curiosity got the better of himâso he activated the Arcane Art.
Suddenly, his body began to swell with massive muscles, while his skin turned crimson, like solidified red stone.
He thought he looked like a red version of the Hulk.
Rip!
His clothes tore apart instantly as his body expanded.
Richardâs eyes widened, but he quickly noticed some sort of stone-like undergarment forming around his waist, covering his "dragon."
In just moments, his body had grown so tall that he was now towering above the treesânearly fifteen meters in height.
The ground now seemed far beneath him.
"Boy, look!"
The White Ancestor released a light that formed into a mirror-like reflectionâshowing Richardâs current form.
He could only stare in disbelief at his appearance, resembling a red giant, almost exactly like a crimson Hulk.
"No, no!" he said quickly, dispelling the transformation.
There was no way he could like such a form.
Fortunately, with just a thought, he reverted back to his human selfâthough he had to hurry to put on his clothes again.
"Hahaha, boy, it seems you donât like that form. But donât worry, even without transforming, your physical strength is already formidable. The transformation is only if you ever wish to fight in a brute-force way," said the White Ancestor.
"I wonât transform, no matter what," replied Richard firmly.
"If youâre desperate enough, you might still do it," said the White Ancestor with a chuckle.
"Alright, itâs done. Iâll be off now," he added.
"Wait!" Richard reached out his hand to stop the crow, but it had already pierced through space-time, vanishing from his sight.
Richard could only roll his eyesâhe didnât even know where he was now, except that it was in the middle of a forest.
Whoosh!
He spread out waves of perception to scan his surroundings, stretching them as far as he could reach.
Unfortunately, all he sensed was more forest.
If anything, he only detected the presence of numerous beasts.
"Luckily, I have a Flying Magic Vehicle," he said.
Whoosh!
He summoned itâa massive ark-shaped craft roughly the size of a house.
Made from extremely durable material, it easily crushed the trees around it.
Richard leapt onto the ark.
It was already linked to him, allowing full control.
However, it required a supply of Nature Spirits as fuel.
Having plenty of them, Richard didnât hesitate to pour in hundreds of thousands of Nature Spirits at once.
The ark immediately responded, moving in accordance with his will and soaring into the sky.
He was sure this place wasnât far from the capital. As long as he flew high enough, he should be able to spot the vast city.
Flying leisurely, even while ascending higher, the ark didnât consume too much energy.
Hundreds of thousands of Nature Spirits seemed enough to last for several days.
Richard watched as the ark glided through layer after layer of clouds, climbing ever higher.
He kept looking around, and before long, he spotted distant mountain rangesâtiny from his view, but he knew they were enormous in reality.
"The capital!" he said confidently, certain that those mountains marked the capitalâs location.
Without hesitation, he ordered the ark to head in that direction, though at a relaxed pace.
The distance was likely several hundred kilometers, but he wanted to enjoy the journey.
"Mm..." After some time, he spotted a settlement hidden in the forest.
It was far too grand to be called a village, filled with dozens of luxurious castles surrounded by artificial lakes.
What caught Richardâs attention, however, were the carriages bearing red star emblemsâthe insignia of the Empressâs entourage.
"Does the Empress live here?" he muttered.